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Aboriginies: Problems of Social Integration
The Aborigines of Australia: Problems of Social Integration Aboriginal Culture *Animism → belief that non-human entities are spiritual beings **no separation between spiritual world and physical world *Land = the core of belief = spirituality *Ancestor spirits created all living forms (animals, plants, rocks) and their relationships **Sacred sites (e.g. Uluru a.k.a. Ayers Rock) **learning of these sites: process of initiation → “Songlines” / Dreaming track Past *Aborigines have inhabited Australia for at least 25,000 years *1770: Captain Cook arrives in Australia, population estimated between 300,000 and 700,000 Aborigines *many died due to European diseases (90% smallpox) *1806: racism peaked **sacred Aboriginal places violated **Aboriginals hunted like animals *''1850s: Policy of Protection'' **Paternalism: white people are inherently superior to Aborigines **Europeans believed that, because the Aboriginal culture didn’t live up to their standards, they were therefore primitive, and in need of Europeans’ help **‘Protectorates’ were established, Aboriginals were to be civilized, educated to European standards, converted to Christianity **Church missions set up to Christianize and civilize the ‘natives’ **1901: even after independence, Aborigines had no rights *''1950s: Policy of Assimilation'' **encouraging Aboriginal people to move away from their traditional cultures and adopt the Australian way of life (--> Aboriginal culture to dissolve into a European culture) **Assimilation Act → Stolen Generation **by 1965: population sunk to 40,000 → 'Dying race' *''1869-1969: The Stolen Generation'' **Aboriginal children kidnapped from their families **cultural 'reprogramming' → integrate into white society **however, failed: reconnection with indigenous culture → still suffered from poor health, alcohol abuse, unemployment, etc. *''1960s: Policy of Integration'' **Policy of Assimilation failed → people still clung to own cultures **Integration: maintain traditional cultures whilst becoming part of the larger Australian community *''1970s: Policy of Self-determination'' **States repealed anti-Aboriginal laws, government stopped trying to destroy Aboriginal culture **End of Stolen Generation **Self-determination: : 1. Aboriginals should receive the same rights and freedoms as non-Aboriginals 2. Aboriginals determine themselves how they want to live 3. Aboriginals should have a voice in policies that affect them Present *little under half a million Aboriginal people in Australia today → 2.3% of Australian population (incl. Torres Strait Islander) Political initiatives *Formal apology to Australia's Indigenous people (2008) **--> Stolen Generation **"for the nation to turn a new page in Australia's history by righting the wrongs of the past and so moving forward with confidence in the future" (PM Kevin Rudd) *constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians (2010) **“to acknowledge the special place of our first peoples” **building a nation based on strong relations and mutual respect **a nation that is united in recognizing and acknowledging the unique and special place of “our first peoples” *Closing the Gap Initiative (main) **to improve the lives of Indigenous Australians, and in particular provide a better future for Indigenous children **education, housing and health **a clear focus on overcoming Indigenous disadvantage *however, still too many imbalances in living standards, life expectancy, education, health and employment Australian Bureau of Statistics: *life expectancy for indigenous Australians lower by 11.5 years (males) and 9.7 years (females) *most common occupation group for employed Indigenous people: Labourers (24%) in contrast: most common occupation group for non-Indigenous people: Professionals (20%) *33% of the Indigenous Australians will go to prison at some stage of their life *suicide rate is three times higher for Indigenous Australians than non-Indigenous Australians *substance abuse : alcoholism, petrol sniffing **'Dry Zones' or Kava (plant whose roots are sedating w/o disrupting mental clarity) Summary *Aborigines today face many problems as a result of the colonial project **their numbers decimated **discrimination **socially, economically and politically underprivileged